Lost
An 1898 USDA bulletin contains a pretty thorough history of the periodical cicada in the US.
Brood XI, which is a 17 year cicada, is documented in 1893 in Wake County, for example, but it's not likely that this year's brood is one of those. More likely is that the cicadas which have been pretty prevalent in north Durham County are members of Brood XVIII, which is a 13 year cicada first recorded, nearer to the Mississippi, as far back as 1803, or 16 cycles ago.
How this guy got to my back yard remains unknown. He, or she, only has a week or two left to find a mate in the vicinity and get to work on making the next generation, to surprise whoever is living in my house in 2024.
Labels: insects
Since 1949, Durhamites have slept soundly, secure in the knowledge that, in our town, erection can be depended upon. Now, thanks to the power of the internets, we can spread that security all over the world.
2 Comments:
Great photo!
By
Unknown, at 12:01 AM
I was listening to something on NPR about the cicada's and the 13 vs 17 yr cycles. Pretty amazing stuff. Haven't heard any yet, but I'm sure that I will soon enough.
By
Steve Graff, at 5:56 PM
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